Paraprofessional Groups and Associations

A~STRACT THE1996 EDITION OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY National Directory: ASSOCIATIO ’S Library Paraprofessional Associations lists forty-six active library paraprofessional associations or subsidiary groups in the United States. Since the mid-l960s, starting with the formation of the Council on Library/Media Technicians (COLT), the number of these groups has grown. They take avariety of forms, from the independent association or group to the round table or section of a larger library association. They exist on national, regional, state, and local levels. The groups share common elements in the reasons they were formed and their members’ expectations. The author reviews why paraprofessionals began to form associations, looks at a sampling of the associations with their common and dissimilar elements, and examines their place within the community of library associations.